M.K. England’s All Fired Up is a heartfelt and empowering sapphic romance that blends vulnerability, humor, and emotional growth into a compelling story. What begins as an attempt to help their best friend stay in the U.S. quickly transforms into a deeper, more personal journey for the two central characters—one that explores identity, love, and the courage to choose happiness.

England excels at portraying emotionally authentic characters who struggle with real-life issues, from family expectations to self-doubt and fear of change. The story never shies away from tough moments, but it handles them with grace and relatability. At its core, All Fired Up is a story about finding your voice, embracing vulnerability, and allowing yourself the freedom to pursue joy—no matter how uncertain the path.

With rich character development and a romance that feels both organic and inspiring, All Fired Up is a standout in queer contemporary fiction. It’s a beautifully written reminder that sometimes, love is the spark we need to ignite real personal transformation.

Cuuuute! One of my favorite things to read is characters with jobs I 1)know nothing about, and 2) don't see in books often. (I can definitely say this is my first fire scientist MC!) I'm a sucker for found family and this book excels at that! Also, sad that Skylar moved to Fiji (I know, I know, that's the whole premise of the story) but hoping maybe she falls in love with one of her Fiji buddies and we get a book about them??? I just know I'm not ready to leave this friend group behind!

Nicole left Seattle to earn her master’s degree and much needed space. Now she’s back and ready to reconnect with her friends.. and to shoot her last shot on her unrequited crush. These plans crash when the unrequited crush in question, Skylar, announces a move to Fiji.

Kira McKinney, who had joined Skylar’s friend group while Nic is away, is as devastated by Skylar’s announcement as Nic. She isn’t ready to lose her best friend while dealing with her own issues. Kira teams up with Nic in order to convince Skylar to stay.
This is a fun summer sapphic romance featuring two flawed individuals. There were so many points where I was apprehensive as to how certain plot points were going to carry out but the author got us through each issue smoothly.

I only have two complaints. One is that, in tone, both characters sounded so similar that there were times where I had to go back to the beginning of the chapter to see whose POV I was reading.

The second is that I, personally, did not like Nic as much. Nic, on the whole, tended to make me cringe. She was awkward in a way that gave me visceral secondhand embarrassment while reading. I think others would find her endearing or silly.

This book is fun, heart warming, and full of little therapy moments. From Nic addressing unrequited love to learning how to chase what she wants in life to Kira learning to accept defeat and pivot to chase her professional dreams. This is the perfect read for someone who looking for a summer romance.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Harlequin Trade Publishing for giving me a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Nic’s job is to make fires, while Kira’s job is to put them out. They both have a mutual friend that wants to move far away, neither of them want that so they conspire together to change their friend’s mind. They become friends and then get REAL friendly. Read and follow them navigate their new friendship that is budding into a relationship.

This was so cute! Sapphic rom com with some
GREAT spice. Loved the friend group, the found family aspects. Would definitely read books about the other characters in the friend group. Especially Skylar, I would love to read more about her.

I really wanted to read this so I requested both the ebook and audio book, only to get both. So I did an immersive read and had a great time! The audio book has two separate narrators, loved them both. Especially the one who narrated Kira. Their voices together made it very enjoyable to finish in one day. Felt like they really fit the characters.

Thanks to Harlequin Audio and Netgalley for the advanced copy!

This is a review of the audiobook.

4.5/5 ⭐️s
🌶️🌶️ - medium spice

LOVES:
- Okay, I thought I saw where this was going after the first chapter and it was fun to be surprised 👀
- Also, I was immediately endeared to this entire friend group. I would read more books about these characters, no question.
- I appreciated how everything worked out with Skylar. She was direct and honest, low drama. I’ll reiterate, this was a great cast of characters.
- I find Tarot reading to be fun, but I’ve never been super into it. The tarot scene in this book was written really effectively and felt like a great turning point for Nic and Kira.
- There was a lot of self-examination and processing of feelings/trauma throughout. It felt really realistic. These were real people stumbling through life, making mistakes, and working through big feelings.

I throughly enjoyed this in such a low-key way. It was easy to read, but still thought-provoking and quite cute 🥰

Thanks to NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, Harper Collins, and Canary Street Press 💝

this was an easy and fun read!

we have our two leads nic (a scientist who starts fires) and kira (a firefighter) who become aquatinted with one another when they work together to try and keep their mutual friend skylar from moving away. oh, and the added twist that nic is in love with skylar and has been for quite some time… yet, nic still finds herself having feelings for kira!

i enjoyed the dynamics of this friend group in the book and how easily it was for kira and nic to connect to one another after meeting. while the romance was sweet (and steamy) i found myself wanting a bit more from our to leads as characters. i enjoyed how they openly communicated with one another in a healthy way, yet for some reason i felt like i was being kept at an arms length from them as characters; it felt like there was depth underneath the surface but i wasn’t quite there with them.

overall i did enjoy this one and i’m glad i picked it up!

i will be posting this review to goodreads as soon as i’m posting this (4/28/25) and have linked the review below!

Thank you Harlequin Trade Publishing for the free copy of this book.

When mutual friend Skylar announces she’s moving to Fiji, Nic and Kira team up to convince her to stay. Hatching a plan of serious shenanigans to make Skylar rethink her decision, all their time together leads Nic and Kira to realize there might be something more between them.

I have mixed feelings about All Fired Up. I really enjoyed the dynamic between Nic and Kira - they had great tension and chemistry, excellent banter, and the combo of a chemist and a firefighter was amazing. I also enjoyed the group friendship and the side characters I hope to see in future books. Plus the queer and mental health representation was what motivated me to read this book.

However, I struggled with the initial way their plan come about and started to unfold. I didn’t like that they were so critical of their friend’s choices and it felt like they were bad mouthing her too much behind her back. That part really frustrated me, and I’m glad it was resolved in an open and communicative manner. Once the story moved past that original plan, I enjoyed it more and ultimately thought it was a cute story!

Nicole’s back in Seattle, ready for a fresh start…and a shot with her best friend, Skylar. But Skylar’s running off to Fiji, and Nicole’s only hope is teaming up with Kira, the quirky friend who’s always there to clean up Skylar’s messes. As their shenanigans escalate, so does the heat between Nicole and Kira. Will they save Skylar from herself, or will their unexpected attraction lead to a whole new kind of disaster?

This rom-com is so much fun! I was swept away by Nicole and Kira’s swoon-worthy romance. Their characters are beautifully developed, and their chemistry is electric. But it’s not just the romance that shines—the heartwarming sense of found family adds depth and richness.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

✨ Review ✨ All Fired Up by M. K. England, Narrated by Angel Pean and Kristen DiMercurio

Thanks to Harlequin Trade Publishing, Canary Street Press, Harlequin Audio, and #netgalley for the gifted advanced copy/ies of this book!

This is perfect for Ali Hazelwood fans - for the nerdy, STEM romance lovers!
Nic’s job is to make fires for a living and Kira’s job is to put them out, which makes for the perfect steamy set up. They both share a best friend who's getting ready to move far, far away and start a new life, and they conspire to try to convince her not to leave. In the process, they get to know each other (and they get to KNOW each other).

This features the best kind of queer friend group / found family - supporting, loving, and teasing each other. It tackles serious issues faced by women in STEM and in traditionally male jobs like firefighting, but it also doesn't hesitate to bring in the laughs to offset this.

This was short and sweet and overall just a fun read!

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Genre: f/f romance
Setting: Seattle
Length: 8 hours 35 minutes
Pub Date: Apr 29 2025

Read this if you like:
⭕️ women in STEM / female firefighters
⭕️ queer friend groups
⭕️ friends to lovers / forced proximity

2.5 ⭐️

literally what do i even say. my feelings are SO neutral like why did i even read this? i don’t give one singular fuck shout any part of it in a neither positive nor negative way…it’s just redundant and lacing chemistry, but i finished it one sitting so what does that say about anything 😭

Bummed about this one - had promise: firefighter MC x scientist MC end up teaming up to try and prevent their mutual friend from leaving town.

Ways this fell flat to me:

- chemistry was not there. they went from friend of a friend to working together once or twice to fucking to in love.
- the 'mystery' for why the mutual friend was leaving ended up being blown out of proportion, she was a social media therapist and livestreaming everything to her followers was not fun or interesting to read about
- for the pivotal big moments between the MCs, there was always some magical knowledgable person there to literally explain everything to them and as the reader, we were just talked at for all the plot movement (thinking of the tarot card cafe reading thing and the brunch scene that turned into an impromptu therapy session)
- the token nonbinary side character showed up at the beginning and the end to keep that plot moving
- there was not much of a plotline with their lives besides sexism at firefighter's work and money for grant at science job.


However, the narration was good and both Angel Pean & Kristen DiMercurio were working their butts off to keep this going. All stars go to the both of them lol.

Nic just moved back to Seattle in the hope she can begin a relationship with best friend Skylar, only to find out Skylar is moving to Fiji. She and Kira, the friend Skylar made while Nic was in grad school, decide to work together to show Skylar that moving to Fiji is a bad idea. But as they spend more time together, they become closer as they learn more about each other and Skylar's reason for moving.

Some of the things about someone researching fire resistant materials and a firefighter getting into a relationship felt a little gimmicky, but overall it was a fun read about friendship and relationships.

4/5 Stars 2/5 Spice

Tropes:
Firefighter Romance
Forced Proximity
Friends with Benefits
Only One Bed
Roommates to Lovers
Opposites Attract
Found Family

Ah! I loved Nic & Kira so much. Woman in STEM + a firefighter sapphic romance was the perfect opposites attract story. I loved the “keep it casual” vibes bc they were both dealing with feelings about their friend moving away & didn’t want to commit to things - which of course failed miserably bc they had amazing chemistry 😂 their love story was messy & a bit raw & i loved it. i loved their love. the forced proximity in this one was so unique - i really enjoyed the tension & drama of it all 😂 & oh my gosh skylar really kept us all on the hook didn’t she?! overall this was a fun binge read & if you love an opposites attract forced proximity moment - this one is definitely worth checking out!

I really loved the cover.

The contents of this book are exactly what the synopsis/description states.

I really wish Skylar the best in Fiji and I appreciated the insight that she provided to Nic and Kira.

This was just....fine? I'm having a hard time pinpointing what exactly I didn't love about it. There was a weird lack of emotion, and the two leads sounded a bit too similar in their POVs. It was actually really difficult for me to distinguish between the two of them at times. The plot was interesting enough but also gets blown up halfway through so.....................I don't know. Not really for me despite it being sapphic.

Nic and Kira have great chemistry, and it is simply adorable to put a fire-starting scientist and a firefighter together. I enjoyed the double entendre with the title and the chemistry between the characters. The two lead characters are in the same friend group, due to sharing a best friend, and it was fun to see how the characters interacted with each of them together and independently, in very realistic and relatable ways. Of course, as with all romances, there are misunderstandings, and times you want to take the main characters and shake them until they see the light. I loved the friend group and how much they all obviously cared about each other. This would be a good series with other books focusing on the other characters, like Willow. I also want to hear about Skylar’s future adventures. This story was engaging from start to finish. I would absolutely recommend for fans of Ashley Herring Blake and Alexandria Bellefleur! Thanks to M.K England, Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing and Canary Street Press for an e-arc in exchange for my thoughts. I can’t wait for M.K’s next book.

I truly appreciate how, through a joyful and messy queer romcom, M.K. England thoughtfully highlights the importance of therapy and mental health, while exploring the courage it takes to move on from what no longer serves you and the power of choosing your own happiness over others’ expectations. And, of course, how the bonds of found family can absolutely be fireproof.

ARC Review: All Fired Up by M. K. England
Pub Date: April 29, 2o25

Nic Wells comes back to Seattle after two years away going to grad school and trying to get over her best friend, Skylar. When Skylar suddenly announces that she is moving to Fiji, Nic thinks she's making a huge mistake. And conveniently, the newest addition to their friend group, fire fighter Kira, thinks the same. So the two of them team up to help Skylar realize the mistake that she's making and become closer throughout this process.

I really really loved this book! Both Nic and Kira have quite a bit of character growth to do during the course of the book. but they really do the work! They were both really easy to root for and their histories and backstories made me really invested in their growth. I really liked their relationship. Typically I don't love books where one of the main characters is in love with someone else throughout the course of the book BUT here we get to see a really honest conversation between Skylar and Nic where Skylar helps Nic to realize that she never actually loved Skylar, she just doesn't want to lose her and her family (girl has some major abandonment issues). Nic's realization of this is a huge part to her growth and she realizes what she feels for Kira is so different and actually real.

The HEA was immensely satisfying and I loved the friend group so so much!! I think we got a hint of what the next book will be and as someone who loves a queer awakening...I'm SO ready

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing/Canary Street Press for the eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you to @canarystreetpress for providing me an early copy of this ebook. All opinions are my own.

I had such a great time with this one!

Nic is just back in town after 2 years away at grad school, hoping to finally admit her feelings to her best friend Skylar, when Skylar announces that she will be leaving the country in a few months! While she’s been away, Skylar and Nic’s other friends have added a new member to their friend group, Kira, whom Nic immediately befriends as they make a plan to work together to stop Skylar from leaving.

First of all, I loved that these two were a fire scientist and a firefighter. What could be better?! 😆

Secondly, I loved the scheming, that kind of got flirty, and had them spending so much time together…(“definitely” not *dates*. 👀)

The tension was so good, and I was just holding my breath waiting for a dam to break whenever they were alone together.

The writing style hooked me immediately; very engaging and fun.

There were some mysteries that kept me guessing, especially when it came to the side characters. Each side character definitely brought their own personality, and I wouldn’t be mad about seeing them featured in some theoretical future books?! 😍

Overall a really fun sapphic romcom that I think would make for a perfect summer read!

What this book is giving:
✅ Sapphic Romcom
✅ Dual POV
✅ Firefighter
✅ Fire Scientist
✅ Unrequited Love…for another character
✅ Forced Proximity
✅ Is this a date? It feels like a date?

Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5
🌶️🌶️🌶️ / 5

Right from the beginning I fell in love with this story. From the stop Skylar plot, to the little glances that Nic and Kira give each other the romance was one for the history books. They were really cute together and I like that their careers complement each other. I really enjoyed the way the story approaches moving forward as you grow up with your friendships (romances/crushes?). Those things are difficult to deal with and this story does a decent job of it.